Inked
by MissMariaWrites
Summary: AU/AH: Caroline Forbes has just graduated high school and moved to New Orleans for a year before she goes off to Trying to break her "good girl" persona, she decides to get inked at the best place in town- Original What she wasn't expecting was her tattoo artist to be .. (Parallel to
1. Good Girl

**New story!**

**This one isn't going to be as long as****_ We Are The Same_****, it's kind of just a warm up for what is to come. I'm using it as like a practice for writing in third person point of view because it's my weakness.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Inked

Chapter 1: Good Girl

_304...305...306._

Caroline stopped in front of the brown door with the gold numbers 306 on it. She dug through her purse to find her key chain which now only had her car keys, the key to her new mailbox, and the key to her new apartment.

She put the key in the key hole and turned the knob, swinging open the door and looking into the empty room- well, almost empty.

She picked up the box that she had put down on the floor, walking into her new apartment and kicking the door closed behind her.

Just as she put the box down on the kitchen counter, her phone began to ring in her purse. She dug through it again and pulled out her phone, sliding her finger across the screen after looking at the caller ID.

"Hey, Bon" She said, using her shoulder to hold her phone to her ear while she opened the box.

"Hey, Care. How's everything?" Her longtime friend said.

"Good. I just got to the apartment and I'm organizing a couple of things. Thank you for getting me this apartment Bonnie, I really appreciate it" She said gratefully, taking out the cups and plates that were in the box and putting them into cabinets.

"It was no problem! I even found some furniture for you" Bonnie said.

"Yeah, I noticed" She said, looking out to where the living room was supposed to be and seeing the couch and two armchairs that were already set up. She walked over to try them out. "Their great, where did you get them?"

"I was driving by a garage sale that was already closing up. They said that anything I wanted I could take for free"

"Wow, that was convenient" She said, looking up at the giant bed that had been placed in her room "Was the bed included in this finding?"

"No, I found that one at a flea market- super cheap, too" She added the last part quickly.

"Bonnie," Caroline started, heading over to her new bed and sitting on the edge of it "I told you not to spend any money"

"And when have I ever listened? Besides, remember I missed your birthday one year and I never got you anything? This is like my redemption" At that, Caroline laughed.

"Okay, okay but you really didn't have to. You've already done so much for me" She added.

"What are friends for?" She said and they lapsed into silence. Caroline looked around her apartment, trying to think of something else to say, but Bonnie beat her to the punch. "Have you talked to your mom?"

"No, I don't think she was too thrilled that her daughter decided to take a year off from college" She said "And you know I can't"

"Maybe if you talk to her and make her understand why-"

"No, Bonnie" She sighed. They had had this conversation before "I think it's better this way" She said in her this-conversation-is-over tone. She heard Bonnie sigh on the other end of the line.

"Alright, well I'll let you get unpacked. How about we meet up tomorrow for coffee?"

"That sounds good, I'll see you then" She said, smiling slightly before hanging up.

Her apartment was more like a loft or a studio- it was a huge open space and the only place that was slightly cut off was her bedroom.

Sitting on her new bed with her back to the headboard, there was a built-in closet to her left and a large window to her right that led out to a balcony. When she looked forward she could see her living room, no door dividing the rooms. The dark blue couch Bonnie had brought in was pushed up against the far wall, two chocolate colored armchairs to the right of it, their backs to another large window that opened up to the balcony.

The rest of the apartment consisted of a small kitchen and a full bathroom- the bathroom was of course closed off from the rest of the apartment.

She sighed, getting comfortable in her new home.

It wouldn't be so bad.

Moving to New Orleans would not have been her first choice, but at the moment it was the best choice. She had her friend Bonnie to help her out and most importantly she was far away from Mystic Falls.

She shook her head, clearing her mind of unwanted thoughts and heading back down to the parking lot to unpack the rest of her things.

* * *

The next day Caroline woke up early and got ready for her day, dressing in a white summer dress and ballerina flats before curling her hair and heading out to the cafe Bonnie had told her about.

It was only a few blocks away from her apartment so she decided to walk instead of drive there, wanting to look around her new neighborhood.

Her apartment building was one of many in the area. There were also a lot of small shops and stores there, and they all looked quaint and inviting.

She took her time looking around, stopping at a few street vendors to see what they had to sell.

This place was different than Mystic Falls- small and quaint, but vibrating with energy. As she turned the corner and saw the cafe Bonnie told her about, she thought about going to the French Quarter and actually seeing what the real hustle and bustle of New Orleans looked like.

"Care!" She heard Bonnie when she opened the door to the cafe. Bonnie was walking toward her with two cups in her hand, handing one to her before pulling her into a hug. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"It's been too long" Caroline agreed and Bonnie led them to one of the tables with two chairs set up. The cafe wasn't full, but there were a lot of people coming in and out.

"I'm sorry I had to meet you this early- I have a class in about an hour and I wanted to see you as soon as I could" She rattled off before taking a sip of her coffee. Caroline nodded, understanding her completely.

"It's not a problem. I was going to get up early today anyways to do some exploring"

"How do you like New Orleans so far?" Bonnie asked excitedly, sitting up in her seat.

"I haven't seen much, but it's great! I love the atmosphere" Caroline said, finally taking a sip of her coffee, letting the warm liquid settle her excitement.

They talked for awhile more about random topics and making plans to go shopping together. The conversation was going fine until they hit an unwanted topic.

"I don't want to be the good girl anymore!" Caroline huffed "I'm always the one people take advantage of because I can't say no"

"Caroline, don't be ridiculous. Does this have to do with Tyler and-"

"No! Maybe...yes" She conceded and sat back, taking a sip of her coffee "I don't want to talk about him right now" She said, looking down at her coffee. Bonnie took the hint and decided to move on.

"So how do you plan on breaking your 'good girl' persona?" She asked, putting air quotes around good girl.

Caroline looked around- she hadn't thought of that yet. A man walked past her then, going to the cashier to place his order. He had his sleeves rolled up, giving Caroline the perfect view of the dragon that snaked around the guy's arm.

"I'll get a tattoo" She said absently before turning to her friend "I'll get a tattoo" She said more confident and determined.

"Are you sure?" Bonnie asked.

"Yes" Caroline replied, excited and sure of her spur of the moment idea.

"Well, if you're so sure, then I recommend Original Tattoos. They're known for making some kick ass tattoos" Bonnie started getting up, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder, checking her watch "I gotta go, if I'm late for this class again my professor will kill me" She said, dropping a couple of bills on the table before giving her friend a hug.

That afternoon when Caroline got home after a day of wandering, she made herself some Ramen noodles and sat on her couch with her laptop open on her lap.

She searched for Original Tattoos and soon found their website. She dialed their number and waited.

"Original Tattoos, Rebekah speaking" A female, accented voice came through the speakers and she felt nervous instantly, not knowing what to say.

"Good afternoon. I wanted to make an appointment to get a tattoo?" She wanted it to sound like a statement but it came out as more of a question.

"Alright, can I get your name?"

"Caroline..." She said and heard the girl repeat her name, accompanied by the clicking of a keyboard. "Is this your first time getting a tattoo?" She asked.

"Yes" Caroline said, suddenly feeling self conscious- did she sound like a person who didn't have a tattoo?

"Okay we have an opening this coming Saturday morning. Is that alright for you?"

"Yes that's fine" She said, now biting her lip.

"And is there anyone you had in mind?"

"Excuse me?" She asked, confused.

"Any tattoo artist? Would like to ask for anyone in specific?"

"Oh, no anyone is fine"

"Alright, that's it. We'll see you then" The girl said politely.

"Bye" Caroline said back politely before hanging up. She suddenly felt way too nervous- what had she done?

Going on spur of the moment decisions usually didn't end well for her. She always had a plan and made sure everything was executed to perfection. But she wanted to leave her good girl persona and planning out every aspect of her life was definitely part of that.

She shut her laptop and went to throw away her now empty Ramen cup, deciding to not think about the tattoo she would be getting in three days.

* * *

Not thinking about it proved harder than she thought, so she did whatever she needed to to get her mind off of it.

She went job hunting- she had a good amount of money saved up already, but she couldn't live on it forever. There were bills and gas to pay, not to mention food and other necessities.

When she wasn't job hunting she was out shopping for things for her new apartment, simple things like area rugs and curtains. When she wasn't shopping she was cleaning because although Bonnie had done a pretty good job of that herself, Caroline had OCD tendencies.

When she couldn't distract herself, she would look up pictures of tattoos to see what she would get. She also watched some of the shows about tattooing so that she would see what it was like.

She knew it would hurt, and she was nervous about that, but she was more nervous about what she would get and where she would get it. After all, it would be on her body for the rest of her life!

When Saturday morning came, she woke up much earlier than she had planned to, which wasn't a surprise to her. Ever since she was little, whenever she was nervous or excited for something, she would have trouble sleeping.

And she was equal parts nervous and excited for this.

Since she had a few extra hours, she decided to take her time in the shower, washing her hair with her favorite vanilla shampoo. When she got out, she went to her closet and picked out a couple of outfit choices before settling on one.

It was a white chiffon button down blouse, light wash jeans and combat boots.

She sat in front of her mirror and blow dried her hair before pulling it up into a messy bun, letting some strands loose around her face. She did her makeup, making it look very natural.

When she was dressed and ready, she made herself some breakfast and then brushed her teeth. She grabbed her purse and went down to her car, greeting her neighbors politely.

She would have to drive to the tattoo parlor because it would be too far of a walk.

She pulled up into their side parking lot, trying to remain calm. Although she was nervous, she had gotten more excited as the time passed.

Caroline stood in front of the tattoo parlor, looking at the huge window. It was the kind of glass that you couldn't see in but you could see out, a huge red fleur de lis was in the center, the words Original Tattoos written across the center in elegant script.

This was the place.

She opened the front door and heard the sound of a bell signaling her entrance. She looked around what seemed to be the waiting room- there were leather armchairs settled along the brick wall in front of her and some against the window.

There were black and white photos on the brick wall depicting all kinds of intricate tattoos.

She walked up to the front desk and watched as the blonde girl turned from whatever she was doing on her computer to her.

"Hello, how may I help you?" She asked and Caroline recognized the accented female voice from when she had talked to her over the phone.

"I'm Caroline. I had an appointment today?" She said, again, making her statement sound more like a question.

"Oh yes, Caroline. Sorry I'm not used to people coming in this early they usually come in later in the afternoon" She said, turning back to her computer and typing something in. Her words brought a sort of comfort to Caroline because she was nervous about being around more people when she got her first tattoo.

As Rebekah typed something in she heard a door open and close and she looked to her left where the noise had come from.

It was a man. He wore a black Henley- the sleeves rolled up to reveal his tattoo covered arms- distressed jeans and boots. From where she was standing, she could see the array of necklaces that hung from his neck and the eyebrow piercing over his right eye that gleamed in the light.

He walked toward her, walking down the path between the tattoo stations.

"Oh good, you're here" She heard Rebekah's voice and she looked back at the blonde who was still looking at her computer screen. She assumed that she was talking about the supermodel that had just walked in. "Caroline this is Klaus. He'll be your tattoo artist for today" She said, motioning to the man who was now standing next to her, leaning on the desk.

"Good morning to you too, dear sister" He said to Rebekah and she stuck her tongue out at him. He turned to Caroline "You must be Caroline" He said and she slipped her hand into his, expecting a handshake. Instead, he leaned down and placed a kiss on her knuckles.

"Yes. And you must be Klaus" She said, trying not to sound fazed by what he had done. He chuckled, letting go of her hand and turning around.

"Follow me" He said and she did just that, waving at Rebekah as she walked toward the back of the parlor with Klaus. They walked behind a wall that served as a divider from the rest of the parlor. He sat down at a desk before turning to Caroline.

"And what would you like today, sweetheart?" He asked in a deep, accented voice that made Caroline almost melt right there. She shook herself out of the little trance and reached into her purse, taking out a folded piece of paper and unfolding it.

She smoothed it out and looked at it for a second before handing it to him.

He took the paper from her and looked down at the drawing and she swore she saw something flash in his eyes, but wasn't sure what.

"Did you draw this?" He asked.

"Yeah. I couldn't find exactly the tattoo I wanted so I drew it out" She said, some of her nerves going away.

"This is good. Do you draw?"

"Oh, no. I had a few art classes back in school so I know a couple of things" She said, easing into the conversation. He nodded before looking back down at the paper.

"Do you have an idea of where you want it?" He asked.

"On my back" She said and he nodded again.

"Alright," He said before grabbing a large piece of paper and standing up "Would you turn around for me?" He said and she nodded, turning her back to him.

She felt his hand on her lower back and she swallowed, her mouth going dry.

"Tell me where you would want to start the tattoo" He said.

"Right there" She said before he could move his hand "All the way up to here" She said, reaching back and pointed to where she want it to end.

"You want it to go down the middle of your back?" He asked.

"Yes" She nodded and felt him move away from her. When she turned back around, he was at his desk, which she now assumed was a drawing board. He had her paper next to him and another large paper in front of him where he was drawing.

She leaned against the wall, watching as her drawing came to life on the larger paper.

He put the finishing touches on it and stood up, holding it up for her to see. She nodded in approval.

"Come with me" He said, leading her out into the parlor again. There were six tattooing stations and he lead her to the last one on the right hand side.

"Um," She heard Klaus say as he got to his station "I'm going to have to ask you to remove anything that will-" He started. He had put down the paper he was carrying on the tattooing chair and was now making hand gestures to try and find the correct word. Caroline laughed and nodded.

"Yes, I'll take my shirt off" She said and dropped her purse next to the tattooing chair before starting to unbutton her blouse. She bit back a smile when she saw Klaus turn around to give her some privacy. She slid it off her shoulders and folded it before placing it on top of her purse.

Caroline had done her research and knew this would happen, so she had gone out to buy one of those bras that was only the cups in front and would be held to her body by the sticky strips on the sides.

She sat down on the tattooing chair with her back to him.

"Okay, done" She said and heard him turn around before she heard some shuffling. Soon, she felt the carbon paper being pressed to her back and adjusted into place before being peeled away.

"Check it out" She heard him say and she went to the nearest mirror, turning around to get a better glimpse it.

"Perfect" She said, looking at the design on her back. It really did look good.

Caroline moved back to the tattooing chair and sat down, straddling the seat and resting her chest against the back, turning her head to the side to watch Klaus getting his tattooing gun and ink ready.

He put on a pair of gloves before sitting on the chair next to Caroline.

"Ready?" He asked and she nodded, waiting to feeling the needle on her skin.

She felt it on her lower back first and she tried to keep her breathing even.

"Is this your first tattoo?" Klaus asked after a few minutes and she nodded "What made you decide to get it?"

She thought for a moment- what had made her decide to get it? She wasn't going to say that she had seen a guy with a tattoo and decided "Hey why not?" or that she wanted to break her good girl streak.

"I moved out here to New Orleans to get a fresh start. Like a new me" Caroline started, phrasing her sentences carefully. She was a terrible liar. "So getting a tattoo just seemed like the right way to go" She ended. It wasn't a complete lie.

"Where did you live before, if you don't mind me asking" He said.

"Mystic Falls. It's a small town in Virginia"

"And why did you decide to leave?"

"Well, like I said it's a small town. Everyone knows each other and everyone knows each other's business. I wanted to get away from all that so once I finished high school I left" She said, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Well, you are going to love New Orleans" He said, wiping some of the excess ink from her skin. She smiled.

"I haven't had a chance to see much of it yet, but I like it so far" She said.

They talked a little more about some of the sights she would like to see and she even talked to him a little bit about Bonnie before they lapsed into silence.

After a couple of minutes she brought her hand up to swipe away a single tear that had rolled down her cheek.

The tattooing wasn't hurting as much as she thought it would, but it did hurt. He skin felt numb and she swallowed when she felt another pang of pain go up her spine.

"Do you need a break?" He asked and she shook her head.

About an hour later, Klaus turned off his tattoo gun and wiped away some ink and blood from her skin.

"All done" He said, examining his work one more time before getting up and moving away from her, letting her stand up and walk toward the mirror.

She rubbed her hands together- they had gotten cold after the three hour session.

She turned her back to the mirror so that she could see the tattoo, this time Klaus handed her a hand mirror so that she could see better.

"Oh my god," She said as she caught a glimpse of the tattoo.

It was perfect. It started at her lower back and ended right at the top of her spine. The tattoo was a feather, going up the length of her spine to transform into birds, flying away.

The feather was detailed and shaded to perfection and the silhouettes of the swallows flying up into the air made her smile.

"It's beautiful, it's wonderful, it's perfect" She said, looking at Klaus who was standing next to her. He smiled down at her.

"I'm glad you like it, love" He said and she smiled even wider, feeling the urge to jump for joy but thinking it would look childish.

She went over to his station where he put some lotion on her fresh tattoo, putting a bandage on it so that it wouldn't get infected.

She pulled on her shirt again and grabbed her purse, turning to Klaus.

"Thank you" She said, smiling wide.

"It was my pleasure" He said, returning the smile.

"Can I get a hug?" She said, opening her arms slightly and he smiled pulling her in for a hug.

She pulled away a few seconds later, smiling at Klaus before turning to the front desk.

"How do you feel, Caroline?" Rebekah asked with a smile.

"Great. Your brother did an amazing job" She said, pulling out her credit card and handing it to her.

"He always does" She said with a smile and proceeded to charging her. Caroline looked back at Klaus who was now cleaning up his station.

"Take an extra twenty" Caroline said and Rebekah looked up at her inquisitively "He deserves it" She said with a shrug and Rebekah nodded slightly, doing as she asked. When she finished, she handed back her card.

"Anything else?" Rebekah asked and Caroline thought about leaving her phone number but quickly decided against it.

"No, that's it. Thank you" Caroline said with a smile, turning and walking out of Original Tattoos, the smile still on her lips.

* * *

**For those of you who have been following along on my website (link in my author profile), I hope I didn't disappoint! You also know that I will soon be publishing****_ Marked_****, which is the parallel of this story (it's from Klaus's POV).**

**Review and let me know what you think!**

**Bye for now!**

**~M**


	2. Parades

**I'm going to the beach so I'm gonna make this quick:**

**Thanks you for all the lovely reviews here and on Marked! I didn't so many reviews, favorites and follows in such a short time so thank you thank you thank you!**

**My gift to you is this chapter :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Inked

Chapter 2: Parades

It had been 4 months since Caroline had moved to New Orleans, and things had been going good.

After weeks of job interviews, she had been able to land a job as assistant to an event coordinator. It wasn't her first choice, but she was good at it.

Back in Mystic Falls, she had done a lot of event planning herself and knew a couple of things when it came to color schemes and flower arrangements. Her new employer seemed to have seen it too, and made sure she always had a project to work on.

Today had been a particularly rough day since she had no project to work on, so she was sent out on errands. They were small things like going to the local bakery to make sure they were on track for a wedding that was to be held later that week, making sure the florist had received their order, picking up a shipment of table cloths.

Simple things, but tiring things.

She walked down the sidewalk, adjusting her purse on her shoulder and cursing herself for wearing her uncomfortable heels.

She looked up in time to see the sign of a bar she had never seen before. Maybe they were new- well, probably not. She hadn't visited a bar or had a drink in a long time.

Bonnie had tried to coax her into joining her and her friends for a drink, but she politely passed and opted for an evening in her most comfortable pair of pajamas, watching Breaking Bad and drinking tea.

God, where did the fun Caroline go?

Right, she stayed in Mystic Falls along with her past.

She shook her head, turning into the bar and taking a seat in one of the bar stools. She dropped her purse on the counter and saw some movement from the corner of her eye- the bartender.

"Bourbon, neat" She said with a sigh, digging out her phone from her purse.

"Barbie?" She heard a familiar voice and her head shot up to look at the one and only Damon Salvator, standing behind the bar. He smirked, wiping the glass in his hand "Of all the gin joints in all-"

"Please, don't quote Casablanca" She said, raising a hand to stop him. He laughed, getting her drink prepared.

"I thought the moment called for it" He said as he set the drink in front of her.

"I never expected to see you here" She said as she sipped her drink.

"Well you know, when the girl you love picks your brother, you run away and open a bar in New Orleans" He threw the towel over his shoulder and leaned on the counter.

"How long have you been here?" She asked. He seemed to be passed the whole Elena drama, but she wasn't going to dig up old memories.

"About a year. Business has been going great" He hopped over the bar and sat down on the stool next to her "The entrepreneurial life suits me. I work here during the day, sometimes I have someone come in here and take over at night" He started "But let's cut the chit chat- what are you doing here?" He asked, his demeanor changing. She finished her drink and set it down on the bar.

"What do you mean?" She asked innocently. For all she knew, he could still be in contact with Stefan. They may have had their differences, but they were still brothers.

"I mean what are you doing here, in New Orleans? I've seen Bonnie around, but I never expected you to be here. Last time I checked, you were planning for college, running around with your star-athlete boyfriend... What was his name again?" He said and she knew he was trying to get a rise out of her.

"Oh please, Damon. You were born in Mystic Falls, you know the mayor's son's name" She said, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder and cutting him a look. She was not going to talk about this, especially with Damon freaking Salvator.

He stared at her, his eyes scrutinizing her features.

She remembered a time when those deep blue eyes and crooked smirk would make her weak at the knees, but that was long ago. That was young and naive Caroline.

"Who are you running from, Caroline?" Damon suddenly asked and she tried her best to keep the shock out of her face. She tried to keep her eyes on his so that she could answer him, but she was a terrible liar and she couldn't look straight at him anymore.

That was the thing about Damon Salvator- he had a way of knowing everything, or at least making you believe he knew everything.

She felt him pat her leg and she looked up at him. He was smiling- a warm smile. Like a smile you would give an old friend.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me" He said with a wink before hopping over the counter again.

She watched as he walked away to attend to another customer, her anger and bewilderment going away.

Although she would never admit it, Damon was a good friend.

* * *

After paying for her drink and getting out of the bar, she walked down another block to the parking lot where she left her car.

She drove home and got up to her apartment, stripping out of her work clothes and jumping into the shower. She was in the middle of her shampooing when her phone started going off.

She groaned, rinsing her hands and turning off the water before pulling aside the curtain to fish it out from her purse on the floor.

She looked at the caller ID before sliding her finger over the screen.

"Hey, Bon" She said.

"Hey, Care! Um, are you busy tonight?" Her friend asked and she thought for a moment. Not that she needed to think, she was never busy.

She had been slacking on breaking her "good girl" persona. Instead, she had turned into more of a would get together with Bonnie every week for coffee, but other than that, she was at work or at home.

"No, I'm free" She said.

"Awesome! Would you maybe want to come to the Halloween parade with me and a friend?" She had heard about the Halloween parade and it sounded fun.

"Sure, but I don't have anything to wear" She said, mentally going through her closet to see if she could throw anything together.

"Oh, don't worry- I got you covered. Mind if I drop by your apartment in about twenty minutes so we can get ready?"

"Sure" She said. She needed a girl's night.

She hung up and dropped her phone in her purse, turning on the water so that she could finish her shower.

Fifteen minutes later, she walked out of the bathroom with her robe on, her hair up in her towel.

Someone knocked on the door and she went to get it.

"Do you need any help?" She asked as Bonnie came through the door. She was holding a box in her hands and she held two hangers with garment bags between her teeth. Bonnie shook her head and mumbled something that Caroline couldn't make out.

She watched as Bonnie went to her couch and put everything down, sighing as she did.

"What's all this?" She asked, going for zipper on the first clothing bag. When she pulled it down, her eyes landed on one of the most beautiful corsets she had ever seen. "Bonnie-"

"Do you like it? I was going to give you the mermaid one but then I saw this one and I thought it would go perfect with your tattoo!" Bonnie rambled off excitedly as she grabbed the other garment bag and pulled the zipper down revealing the mermaid costume.

"Where did you get these?"

"Remember that boutique I told you I worked for? Well they get shipments of costumes when Halloween comes around, and my manager was nice enough to get me first pick" She said as she went to stand in front of the full length mirror in my room.

Caroline looked back down at the peacock costume and smiled a little.

"Okay, time to get ready!"

Two hours later, Caroline slipped on her heels and went to go look at the finished look in her mirror.

She wore a sweetheart neckline corset worked with peacock feathers, black feathers, and blue lace. It dipped low in the back to show off her tattoo. A small black tutu flared out at her waist and she wore black pantyhose and heels.

Bonnie had done her hair and makeup, pulling her hair up into an elegant messy bun, pulling out some strands to frame her face. For her makeup, she chose to do a smokey eye using the colors white, gold, green and blue, finishing off the look with some fake lashes and plum lipstick.

She twirled around, looking at herself from every angle.

"I'm guessing you like it?" Bonnie asked from behind her.

"I look amazing!" Caroline said, turning to her friend "And so do you"

Bonnie stepped forward to look at herself in the mirror.

She wore a seashell worked bustier and a mermaid style skirt that flared out at the bottom to produce the effect of a dark hair was swept to the side in bouncy curls, and like Caroline, she also had a smokey eye.

The colors of her costume were more gold and teal, like the sand and the ocean. Caroline was proud of herself for coming up with the idea of sticking pearl stickers around her eyes to give her a more exotic look.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Bonnie said, giddy with excitement. The two girls grabbed their phones and headed off to the parade.

* * *

"She said to wait for her right here" Bonnie said as she and Caroline came to a stop at a four way intersection. Caroline had parked her car about three blocks down and hoped that she wouldn't be too tired to get back to it at the end of the night.

"Oh, that's her" Bonnie said as she pointed at a girl coming down the street.

As she came closer, Caroline could make out that she was a blonde and wore a costume that resembled a gypsy costume.

The bodice of her dress was dark blue and had a flowery pattern in gold thread worked all along it, it's sleeves were sheer and reached just past her elbows. She also wore a skirt that reached right below her knees, the red and orange fabric flowing in the wind.

It took Caroline a second to realize that it was Rebekah.

"Hello, Bonnie" She said before turning to Caroline. Rebekah tilted her head to the side as she looked at Caroline, trying to pinpoint where she had seen her before.

"Caroline" She said, holding out her hand. A flash of recognition passed through her eyes.

"Caroline, it's good to see you again" She said with a smile, shaking Caroline's hand "How have you been?"

"Good, thank you" Caroline said, returning the smile.

"Would you mind if I see the tattoo? I usually get a chance to see them but yours was covered up before I had the chance" Rebekah said. Caroline was taken by surprise, but smiled politely.

"Sure" She said and turned so that her back was to Rebekah.

"Wow, Nik said it was beautiful but I wanted to see it for myself. It's simple, but it makes a statement" She commented and Caroline turned back around, offering her thanks. They had been so caught up in their own conversation that they had forgotten about Bonnie.

"You guys know each other?"

"Yeah, we met when I went to go get my tattoo" Caroline filled her in and Bonnie nodded in recognition, remembering recommending that specific tattoo parlor to Caroline.

"Alright, let's go have fun" Bonnie said excitedly and they all headed to the parade, making small talk on the way there.

Caroline hadn't had the chance to witness any New Orleans parades, but Bonnie had come one year during Mardi Gras and said it was one of the wildest nights of her life.

When they reached the parade, Caroline understood what she was talking about; everyone was dancing and singing and having a good time.

They were able to make it to the front of the crowd and watched the groups in matching costumes dancing down the street, playing a myriad of instruments.

There were only a few floats, and they threw candy and plastic jewelry to the crowd.

Caroline, Bonnie and Rebekah danced to the different songs that came on, and cheered for the entertainment.

As the night went on, the girls all moved to the local bar to get drinks.

"That was so much fun!" Caroline shouted over the noise in the bar.

"Told you New Orleans' parades were amazing!" Bonnie shouted back, throwing back her drink. Rebekah took her shot before pulling out her phone.

"Excuse me ladies, but I have to take this call. My brothers have been calling me all night and they won't stop until I answer" She rolled her eyes and made her way out of the bar after Bonnie and Caroline had nodded in understanding.

"Would you girls like anything?" The bartender came up to them and asked.

"A shot of vodka for me and- what do you want Caroline?" Bonnie said as she turned away from the bartender and to Caroline who shook her head. Bonnie shrugged "Two shots of vodka, I'll drink for us both" She said to the bartender with a wink and he smirked, turning to get her drinks.

"Woah, what happened to the Bonnie I knew back in high school? You know, the one that was usually DD?" Caroline joked.

"College life" She said with a shrug "And what happened to the Caroline I knew? Keg handstands were your specialty" Bonnie joked as she bumped her friend's shoulder.

"Nope, I've sworn off heavy duty drinking for a while" She tried to make it sound like no big deal, but the mood had dropped. Caroline looked at Bonnie and Bonnie looked back at her, a serious look in her eyes. She nodded and cleared her throat.

"I'm gonna go look for Rebekah, she's been out there for a while" Bonnie said, getting off her stool.

"I'll go with you" Caroline said, dropping a few bills on the counter and following her friend out to the front of the bar.

There were much more people in the pub now and a lot of people outside, too. She tried to stay right behind Bonnie but there were bodies crushing her from each side.

Caroline managed to get out of the crowd and she looked around for Bonnie or Rebekah but didn't see either of them. She looked around one more time and was about to call Bonnie when someone pulled her aside.

"Good evening" The smell of alcohol hit her first. She looked up at the man in front of her, his eyes glazed over as he looked down at her. "You're a pretty little thing" His words were slurred and she tried to fight against his grip but he was stronger than her. He pinned her against the brick wall of an alley.

"Let me go" She grunted as she fought harder.

"I don't think so" He said as he pushed her against the wall, his face inching closer to hers. She fought harder.

"I believe the lady asked you to let her go, mate" Another voice echoed through the alley and she looked over the man's shoulder to see Klaus standing a few feet away.

"Fuck you man, this is none of your business" The drunk sneered and turned back to Caroline. She tried to get her arms free and was about to bring her knee up to his crotch when he was pulled away from her.

Klaus had grabbed him by the collar and pulled him away from her, pushing him against the opposite brick wall. She heard him say something but couldn't quite make out what he was saying.

In a matter of seconds the man was running away and Klaus was next to Caroline.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" He asked as he looked her over for any injuries.

"Yeah, I'm just a bit shaken up" She said, looking up at him with a smile.

"Come one, let's get you out of here"

"But Rebekah and Bon-" He started but he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her away from the alley.

"Are fine. They are waiting for us a few blocks down" He cut her off and started walking down the sidewalk, pulling her along with him.

After a couple minutes of walking, they reached the intersection where Bonnie and Caroline had met up with Rebekah.

"Caroline, are you okay? I got pulled away from you and I couldn't find you and-"

"I'm fine" She said as she slipped out of Klaus's grasp, instantly missing the warmth "I'm just ready to go home"

"I'd offer to drive, but I've had a couple of drinks" Bonnie said.

"Me, too" Rebekah added.

"My car's parked down the street. I'll drive" Caroline said and they all nodded, beginning the walk. She didn't feel like driving- she was tired and shaken up from what had happened in the alley.

As they walked, she was aware of Klaus following behind her and did her best not to look over at him. She was grateful that he hadn't said anything to Bonnie or Rebekah about the drunk guy back at the pub and reminded herself to thank him when she had the chance.

When they reached her car, Bonnie and Rebekah climbed into the back. Caroline was about to open the driver's side when a hand stopped her.

"I'll drive, you must be exhausted" Klaus's accent flowed like honey and she couldn't say no. She nodded, handing him the key and going around the the passenger's side.

She slipped into her seat and put on her seat belt, resting her head on the headrest. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Klaus getting in and going through the motions of turning on the car and pulling out of the parking lot.

They dropped off Rebekah first at what seemed to be her apartment. She got out and said good night, thanking Caroline for a fun time and telling Klaus she would see him at work.

Bonnie was out cold so Caroline had to direct Klaus to her apartment. When they arrived, Caroline helped Bonnie out and made sure she got into her apartment and into bed before heading back down to her car.

She got into the passenger's side and gave Klaus her address.

She felt her eyelids drooping as the car lurched forward and Klaus got them on the road. It only felt like a minute when she felt someone shaking her awake.

"Wake up, love" Klaus said as he shook her gently. She opened her eyes and looked around before orienting herself.

He took the keys out of the ignition and went around to help her out.

He opened her door and offered his hand.

"Thank you" She said, much more awake than before.

"Here" He said, handing her her keys.

"Thank you" She said again, cursing herself for not coming up with anything else to say. Klaus smiled, stepping away from her and snapping her out of her inner turmoil "Where are you going?"

"My brother's apartment is a few streets down" He said, gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb.

"Oh, no I'm not going to let you walk through the streets in the middle of the night" Caroline said before turning to the front door of her apartment building. She turned around when she opened the door, looking back at Klaus who was still standing in the same spot. "Are you coming?"

"Yes" He said quickly, walking to catch up to her. She led him through the lobby and to the elevator. They rode all the way up to the third floor where Caroline led him to her apartment.

She opened the door and went through the apartment, turning on the lights.

"Would you like anything to drink?" She called as she closed the curtains that sealed off her room from the rest of the house. It felt weird to have her room wide open to the rest of the house, and now she was glad that she had gotten them. They were slightly see through but at least her room wasn't out and displayed to Klaus.

"I can make some tea" She kicked off her heels and walked back to the kitchen. Klaus had pulled up a stool in front of the kitchen counter. "I'm sorry I don't have anything stronger"

"Tea is fine" He smiled at her and she couldn't help but give a small smile back.

It took her a couple of minutes to get the water boiling and the tea bags in the cups. While she waited for the tea to be ready, she tapped her foot, trying to figure out what to say to fill the silence.

She had never liked silent moments- she always felt like it meant that things were getting awkward. Usually she would fill in the silence by talking about something random, but she couldn't think of anything that she could talk about with Klaus.

"I like your costume" He said from where he was sitting and she looked up at him.

"Thank you" She said, grabbing both mugs and setting them on the counter in front of him. "I wasn't planning on going to the parade but Bonnie insisted, and she already had my costume so..." She trailed off, shrugging her shoulders.

"And the tattoo, I see you've taken quite a liking to it" He smirked, taking the tea bag out of his mug and putting it in a napkin.

"Yeah," She nodded "It still feels weird when I look in the mirror and I see it there, but in a good way. It's so beautiful I still can't believe I get to have it there forever" She took her tea bag out and put it in a napkin as well, taking a sip of the warm liquid "Thank you"

"Don't mention it. It is my job, after all"

"No," She shook her head "I meant for today. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't shown up" She looked down at her cup, a little embarrassed. After a couple of seconds she felt his fingers under her chin and he gently moved her head so that she was looking at him.

"I'm pretty sure you would have kicked his ass" He said seriously and she giggled. He smiled, too. "I'm serious, you could have done some damage with those heels" He said, pulling his hand away and taking a sip from his mug.

They lapsed into silence again but it was a comfortable silence.

After finishing off their tea, Caroline washed the mugs and put them to dry. What now?

"Do you want to watch some television?" She asked and he gave her a small nod.

She went around and turned on the TV, grabbing a blanket off the back of one of the armchairs and sitting down on the sofa.

Caroline looked over at Klaus who was standing next to the sofa, not really knowing what to do. She pat the spot next to her and he walked over to sit next to her, a little further than she hoped.

Television that late at night tended to suck, and she knew they both weren't paying attention to whatever was on. She glanced over at him. He was sitting back, completely at ease. He had his sleeves rolled up to reveal the tattoos snaking up his arms.

"How many tattoos do you have?" She asked, not meaning for it to come out. He looked at her and then at his arms, shrugging.

"On my arms? Maybe twenty different ones"

"Twenty?" She had to pick her jaw up off the floor. If getting one tattoo was painful enough for her, imagine twenty.

"Yes. Some of them are small, others are larger"

"And that's just on your arms?" She unconsciously scooted closer to get a better look at them. They were all individual works of art, creating one big masterpiece on both his forearms. He chuckled before continuing.

"Yes, those are just my arms" He said in a low voice and Caroline couldn't help but think where else he had tattoos...

"Most of these are Rebekah and Kol's doing"

"Kol? Is he your brother?" She asked.

"Yes, one of two. My older brother Elijah doesn't tattoo very often anymore"

"You all have very interesting names" She noted, still inspecting his arms.

"My parents were able to trace back our family's lineage to Vikings. They wanted to give us names that would honor our ancestors" He turned his arm so that she could see the other side of his forearm.

She leaned in even closer to look at the strange scripture on his forearm.

"What do they mean?"

"It's all of our names- this is Mikeal and this is Esther" He pointed at the ones at the top "Then it's Elijah, Niklaus, Rebekah, Kol and Henrik"

"Your full name is Niklaus?" She asked and he nodded. It now made sense to her way Rebekah called him Nik. "Who's Henrik?" He got quiet and she looked up at him.

"Henrik was the youngest of us all" He started "He passed away a couple of years ago in a car accident" The mood shifted quickly and she could feel how tense he was getting.

"I'm sorry" She couldn't come up with anything else to say, but she didn't want to stay quiet.

"Thank you" He gave her a weary smile and she smiled, too. She pulled away from him and settled on the couch so that she was more comfortable. She pulled the blanket around herself and turned back to the TV.

Her eyelids began to feel heavy, and the last thing she could remember was Klaus's voice wishing her a good night.

* * *

**Leave me some more lovely reviews! I'll be uploading a new chapter of Marked this weekend :)**

**Bye for now!**

**~M**


	3. In Your Arms

**Yes I'm alive.**

**Sorry it's been a while.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Inked

Chapter 3: In Your Arms

Caroline groaned as the annoying shrill of her phone echoed through the room. She rolled over and put a pillow over her head trying to drown out the sound.

After a couple of seconds, it stopped.

She sighed, settling back into the soft mattress and letting the covers engulf her in their warmth. She was beginning to drift off when her phone started vibrating and sounding again.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" She mumbled, pushing the pillow off her head and sitting up straight before running a hand over her face. She crawled over to the side of the bed, not bothering to push the covers off.

She reached for her phone, looking at the caller ID before sliding her finger across the screen.

"Hey, Bonnie," Caroline said, not bothering to keep the sleep out of her voice.

"Morning, Care. Did I wake you?"

"Don't worry about it," Caroline said, making a dismissive gesture with her hand, which she realized Bonnie wouldn't see. "What's up?" She asked, laying her head on her pillow and closing her eyes.

The day before she had had to work overtime because her agency had been working a wedding. She had stayed to help the clean-up crew and had returned home at around three in the morning. Her boss had thanked her and told her that she could have the following day off.

That was why she was still in bed at eleven in the morning.

She heard Bonnie take a breath on the other side of the line. "Well, I borrowed a couple of things from Rebekah a couple of days ago and I haven't returned them and I'm going to be busy for the next couple of days so I don't think I'll get a chance…" Bonnie kept rambling and Caroline listened, opening her eyes as she realized what her friend was going to ask her. "Do you think you can take them to her?"

"Yeah, sure," Caroline said as casually as possibly, trying not to sound too eager. Or nervous.

"Great, thanks! Can you pass by my apartment before twelve thirty? I have to be in a class soon."

"No problem. I'll see you soon," Caroline said, throwing the covers off as she hung up and headed to the shower.

She turned the water on and stepped into the warm spray, her thoughts consumed by the one guy that had been on her mind for the last week.

Klaus.

Not to mention the fact that he was good looking- and God, that accent! But he was also sweet and caring. She had seen the way he treated his sister, and witnessed first hand the way he treated her.

When he had saved her outside of the bar a week ago, his embrace had helped calm her down.

Caroline shook her head, clearing her head of thoughts of Klaus so that she could focus on getting ready.

She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself.

Twenty minutes later she was wearing a knit champagne colored sweater and dark blue jeans along with a pair of knee high dark brown boots. She locked up her apartment and headed down to the parking lot to her car.

Ten minutes later she was pulling into a guest parking spot at Bonnie's building. She headed up to Bonnie's place on the third floor and knocked, rocking back and forth on her feet as she waited for her friend.

She was about to knock again when the door pulled open and Bonnie smiled at her, motioning for her to step inside.

"I'm sorry this was so last minute! I just feel so rude keeping Rebekah's things for so long and I know I'll forget or just won't get around to it and…"

"Bonnie," Caroline said, holding up a finger to stop her friend's rambling. Caroline was always the one to ramble and talk so much, not Bonnie. "How much coffee have you had?" She asked, looking down at the large empty mug on Bonnie's coffee table, surrounded by textbooks and random papers.

"I lost count after five," Bonnie said and Caroline laughed. She watched her friend, who looked like hell. She seemed to be dressed for school, but her sweater wasn't on straight and the scarf she had on was wrapped haphazardly around her neck- and not in a fashionable manner. Her hair stuck out in some places and there were bags under her eyes.

"Bonnie, have you slept?"

"No, I have a huge paper due for my morning class and an even bigger test in my afternoon class so I really had no time to sleep."

"I can see that," Caroline laughed under her breath as her friend got her things together. She helped out by throwing away crumpled up balls of paper and mini bags of chips. "So what is it that I have to take to Rebekah?" She asked after she rinsed Bonnie's coffee mug.

"That bag," Bonnie said pointing at the paper bag on the floor by the door. She ran into her room, complaining about not being able to find a brush. Caroline went and picked up the bag, standing at the door and waiting for Bonnie to finish getting ready.

Standing with her back to the door, she had Bonnie's kitchen to her left. The kitchen had two doorways; one by the entrance of the apartment and another by the living room. Caroline walked through the little hallway that connected the entrance of the apartment to the living room. Bonnie had the basics there; a sofa, two armchairs, coffee table and a TV. To her right was the doorway to Bonnie's room.

"Okay, let's go," Bonnie said, walking out of her room whilst slinging her bag over her shoulder "I have a paper to turn in and a test to dominate," she said matter-of-factly.

Caroline laughed and followed her friend out, saying her goodbyes as they both got into their respective cars.

The drive to Original Tattoos took all but two minutes because Bonnie lived practically down the street from the parlor.

Caroline found a parking spot and got out, grabbing the bag she needed to give to Rebekah and locking her car.

As she walked the short distance from the parking lot to the shop, she fixed her hair and adjusted her purse over her shoulder. She hoped Klaus would be there.

"Of course he'll be there, he works there" She thought to herself, mentally thumping herself on the forehead for the silly thought.

She checked her reflection on the glass door of the parlor for a brief second before pulling it open and stepping in.

A stream of heavy metal music flowed through the door as she stepped in, the heel of her boots clicking against the floor with every step. She glanced at the patrons sitting in the waiting area; there was one man with a long white beard who surely belonged to a motorcycle gang, two girls in tight low rise black jeans whispering and giggling to each other, and a group of five guys all wearing matching leather jackets.

She kept her head up and walked toward the front desk, keeping her eyes on Rebekah's blonde head.

Rebekah looked up, smiling when she saw Caroline approaching.

"Good afternoon, Caroline. What brings you around?" She asked with a smile. Caroline returned the smile, lifting the bag she had in her hand.

"This is from Bonnie. She says she's sorry she couldn't come by sooner but she's been super busy." She handed the bag to Rebekah over the counter.

"That's right, she has a test this week, right?"

Caroline nodded. "And a paper."

Rebekah grabbed the bag and placed it under her desk. "College is a doozy. I'm only taking one class and I'm up to my eyeballs with work." She placed her elbows on the table and looked up at Caroline. "You're lucky. I wish I would have decided to take a year to myself. It sounds like such a good idea right now," she laughed.

Caroline tried not to show her surprise that Rebekah knew that she was taking a year off. It made sense, with all the time she and Bonnie spend together a few things were bound to spill.

So she simply nodded. "I'm glad I did. I needed a little free time before I continued school." Rebekah nodded at that before glancing to her right. Her gaze lingered a bit longer, causing Caroline to look over.

Her heart sped up as she watched Klaus walking toward them. He smiled when he saw Caroline and she couldn't help but return the smile when she saw his dimples sink into his cheeks.

"Hello, love. I didn't know you would be passing by." His voice was like music to her ears and she had to snap herself out of the trance he was putting her in.

"I just came to drop some stuff off for Rebekah," She gestured to the blonde behind the counter who was now charging a man who had a fresh tattoo of a snake running up his arm. Caroline had barely noticed him because she had been too busy looking at Klaus.

"Oh," Klaus started, sliding his hands into his front jean pockets. "I was about to head out for my lunch break. Would you like to join me?" He was smirking confidently but looking at her like as if he thought she would say no.

"Sure, I haven't had a chance to eat yet." It wasn't a lie. She had woken up and had a glass of milk before heading out to Bonnie's house, completely forgetting to eat in her excitement to hopefully see Klaus.

"Great," Klaus's smirk widened into a smile. "We'll go out the back." He gestured for her to step further into the tattoo parlor and she did.

They walked side by side down the row of tattooing chairs. The other five tattooing stations were being occupied and everyone looked up as she and Klaus made their way to the back. He grabbed a black leather jacket and threw it on over his gray Henley, opening the back door for her and letting her go out first.

"There's a place to eat about a block down. Would you mind walking?" He asked in all his gentlemanly charm.

Caroline smiled up at him. "No, I don't mind." She said, shaking her head as they walked onto the sidewalk and began heading to wherever Klaus was taking her.

Klaus tucked his hands into the pockets of his jacket as they walked. Caroline remained quiet next to him, not really sure of what to say or do.

They were walking amongst a large group of civilians and staying at Klaus's side started to become a challenge. She was about to lose him when he grabbed her by the elbow, looping her arm through his. She held onto his arm and he lead her through the crowd, walking at a pace that she could keep up with.

They crossed the street and left the crowd behind, but Caroline kept her arm looped through Klaus's and he kept her close.

"Here we are" He said, stopping in front of a wooden looking door.

"Is this an Italian restaurant?" Caroline asked, looking at the quaint looking entrance.

"It is. Do you like Italian?"

"I do. I've been looking for a good Italian restaurant around here but I've never been able to find one." She said. They were still standing in the middle of the sidewalk, looking at the door of the Italian restaurant, their arms locked together. Caroline thought for a brief moment about how they would look to anyone passing by. They would surely look like a couple. She glanced at the window of the restaurant and caught the reflection of them standing next to each other. A small smile spread across her lips- they looked good together.

"Shall we go in? I wouldn't want you to freeze out here." Klaus smirked down at her and she nodded, letting him pull her along and into the restaurant.

It was much warmer inside than it was outside, something she was grateful for. The restaurant was small, surely family owned. Klaus talked to the hostess and she led them to a booth toward the back of the room.

Caroline picked up her menu and Klaus followed suit.

Soon they had bread sticks in the middle of the table and wine in their glasses.

"So…" Caroline trailed off trying to break the silence but not really knowing how to start a conversation. "What do you want to talk about?" She asked lamely.

"I'd like to talk about you," Klaus responded without hesitation. "What do you do? What are your hopes, your dreams?"

Caroline was taken aback. She thought for a moment and laughed once- no one had ever asked her anything like that before.

"Right now I'm the assistant of a local event planner" She said, taking a sip of her wine.

"That sounds interesting. Do you want to go into event planning?" He asked, making conversation but seeming genuinely interested in the answer.

"Uh, I don't know." She said. "When I was in high school I wanted to do broadcast journalism, but I'm not so sure about that anymore." She shook her head, thinking back to when she wanted to go into that career. "Right now I'm taking a year off before I start college. I took my job because I needed the money, and I'm pretty good with organizing events." She added the last part with a shrug and he laughed.

"You sound so confident about that."

"It was kind of my job to plan events back in highschool. I just so happen to be Miss Mystic Falls." She said matter-of-factly.

"Really?" He coaxed her, seeming rather amused.

Caroline nodded. "Mhm, and the chair of the Mystic Falls beautification committee and the director of the policeman's early raffle."

"Next you're going to tell me you were a cheerleader." He said with a chuckle.

"Captain of the squad for two years," she said, holding up two fingers.

"You've got it all, Ms. Forbes." He said in a joking tone, but not making fun of her.

"It was a small town. You had to keep yourself busy if you didn't want to die of boredom." The waiter came then and they each ordered their main course.

"Why did you decide to take a year off?" Klaus asked as soon as the waiter turned and walked away. Caroline's hands went cold and her face flushed. She was thankful for the dim lighting which masked her face's sudden change in color.

"Nope, that's enough about me. Let's talk about you," she said casually, trying to steer the conversation away from the unwanted topic. It seemed to have worked.

"Ask away," Klaus said.

"Okay, well you are clearly not from around here what with the accent and all."

He nodded. "I was born in London along with the rest of my siblings. When I was ten years old, Mikael and Esther moved the family here so that they could open up the parlor."

"So when did you start tattooing?"

"I've been drawing longer than I've been tattooing. When I was old enough to get licensed, I took the test and started working at the shop."

"So you paint, too?"

"That's right."

"Can I see your work sometime?" Caroline asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. If he was such a gifted tattoo artist, his paintings would surely be nothing short of breathtaking.

"I believe you already have," He said and she tilted her head to the side slightly, clearly confused. "All of the artwork in the parlor is mine," he clarified.

She thought for a moment, trying to remember what one of the paintings looked like. She thought of the one that hung next to his tattoo station. It was the simple silhouette of a woman's waist, tattoos marking all visible skin.

"Wow, you're talented," she said, stating the obvious.

"Thank you, love." He looked down at the table, almost shy.

The continued to talk about his artwork until the food came. As they ate they didn't talk much but a few words were exchanged here and there.

"September nineteenth." Caroline said before taking another spoon full of gelato. It was absolutely heavenly. "And yours?"

"April first," He said without hesitation, causing Caroline to stop, her spoon halfway passed her lips.

"You're kidding," she said, eyeing him suspiciously. All he could do was smile and shake his head.

"No. My birthday is in fact on April fools." He said and she couldn't help but laugh. He watched her as she tried to suppress the giggles but failed.

Caroline took a deep breath, composing herself. "Sorry."

"It's alright." He said with a smile and she smiled back, glad that she hadn't offended him.

She finished her desert- he hadn't gotten any but insisted that she picked something- and Klaus paid the check. They walked out of the restaurant and Klaus took her hand, keeping her close so that the mass of people wouldn't separate them. Once they were able to ditch the crowd, Caroline didn't protest when Klaus didn't let go of her hand.

They walked silently along the sidewalk, making their way back to the tattoo parlor at a leisurely pace. The air was cold and dry and a chilling breeze would sweep across the street every now and then.

When Caroline shivered slightly, Klaus let go of her hand, only to wrap his arm around her waist and tugging her into his side. She wrapped one arm around his back and leaned her head on his shoulder. They fell into step and their breathing became the same and Caroline felt warm not only because of the heat from his body but also the heat building up inside her.

His cheek rested against the top of her head and she felt his chest rise for a second longer than usual as he let out a sigh.

They reached the back door of the parlor and Caroline untangled herself from Klaus, glancing up at him sheepishly.

One of his hands was still rested on her hip and he slowly brought the other up to tuck her blond hair behind her ear. His hand slipped from her hair to cup the side of her neck as he began to lean in, his eyes running over her features.

Caroline froze, not sure of what he was about to do. When his lips made contact with the sensitive skin of her cheek, she closed her eyes momentarily, feeling his stubble rubbing against her skin, his warm lips caressing her cheek.

The kiss was longer than a quick peck on the cheek, but it was much shorter than Caroline would have liked.

"Thank you for your company," He whispered, inches away from her ear.

"Any time" She whispered back, surprised that her voice came out even.

Standing there, in Klaus's arms, Caroline felt strangely at peace. Her thoughts had been in constant turmoil since the day she arrived in New Orleans, but whenever she was with Klaus, her worries disappeared. It was only his touch, the way his eyes looked at her with such warmth, that chased away all her troubled thoughts. The only thing that mattered when she was with him was the way she felt in the moment.

And she hadn't felt like that in a long time.

* * *

**Whenever I start a story I usually already have parts of the story planned out in my head (like the beginning and some key events in the middle). When I started this story I knew that Caroline would be moving to New Orleans with a secret, that Klaus would ink her... and some other pretty important events that will happen in the next couple of chapters.**

**This chapter wasn't really planned, but I needed it so that I could develop their relationship a little bit, and set the scene for the next couple of chapters.**

**I think that's why it took me so long to make this one happen. Not gonna lie, I think I've rewritten this chapter probably five or six times just trying to get it right.**

**So I hope you enjoyed it! I will try to update Marked soon :)**

**Thank you for all the great reviews and all the follows and favorites, and most of all the patience!**

**Bye for now!**

**~M**

**P.S.: Have you guys heard the song I Want Crazy by Hunter Hayes? I'm not a fan of country music but the song is just too cute! Oh and if you haven't had a chance to read my other fic, My Other Half, you totally should. I'll be updating that one, too.**


	4. Slow

**I type up my chapters on word and about a week and a half ago my laptop wouldn't turn on because it had developed (do laptops develop viruses? maybe the right word is contract but whatever). Long story short, this extremely long update was trapped in my computer until I was able to get it fixed.**

**So thank you so much for being amazing and getting both Inked and Marked to over 60 reviews, and I am so sorry I couldn't get this up like a week and a half ago.**

* * *

Inked

Chaper 4: Slow

Caroline never liked waking up in strange places. Her bed in her apartment wasn't exactly a strange place, but she couldn't remember how she got there. Another thing she didn't like was waking up next to strangers. Klaus wasn't exactly a stranger, but she couldn't remember how he got there.

She slowly lifted her head from his chest and peeked up at him. His eyes were closed and his chest rose and fell with the even rhythm of his breathing. He was warm, and although the planes of his chest and abdomen were well chiseled and hard, it wasn't uncomfortable to lie on.

Caroline tried to move, but their legs were tangled under the sheets and his arms held her to his body. She relaxed into his chest again and traced the ink that ran over his skin with her index finger.

She had never seen him shirtless before, although they had known each other for a couple of months and had been spending most of that time together.

Suddenly the realization hit her that she was laying on a shirtless, sleeping Klaus. Her panic was short lived because she felt the denim of his jeans rubbing against her bare legs.

Nothing had happened. She frowned, thinking back to what had happened the night before; Damon's bar, the creep in the bathroom, Klaus storming in and driving her home.

Her cheeks burned with rage and embarrassment. Wherever she went, trouble followed.

Memories of Mystic Falls flooded her thoughts and she closed her eyes, pushing them away.

When she arrived in New Orleans, she had promised herself that she would avoid bars, at any cost. But she had felt safe with Klaus, like nothing bad would happen. And nothing bad happened because he was there- he had been there to save her- again.

She looked away from his tattooed skin and up to his icy blue eyes. Her breath caught in her throat when her eyes met his. He was looking down at her, his eyes searching for something in her face.

"Hey," she said, her eyes drifting down to his lips which were now inches from hers.

"Good morning, love." He whispered before moving his hand up and adjusting the strap of her night gown. It must had slipped off her shoulder at some point during the night and having his fingers on her skin while he put it back in place sent shivers down her spine.

She suddenly became very aware of his entire body; one of his arms was wrapped around her waist, his hand resting on her lower back while his other hand now skimmed her collarbone, coming to rest on the side of her neck.

He leaned forward and his lips rested on her temple. She closed her eyes, enjoying having him so close.

She knew that if Klaus hadn't been there then, she would probably be crying into her pillow. He balanced her out in a way- like the yin to her yang. Having him close gave her a sense of peace.

"Would you like some breakfast?" He mumbled against her skin.

"Yes, please." She smiled at him and he untangled himself from her. She was about to follow him when he pushed her back into her pillow.

"Breakfast in bed, sweetheart," he said with a smirk before disappearing around the corner.

She sat back and looked at the ceiling. She thought about her relationship with Klaus. She wanted to be more than just friends with him. But she knew that she wasn't ready, and she didn't want to rush into another relationship because that never worked out, and she didn't think that would be fair to either of them.

A couple of minutes later, Klaus pulled her curtain aside and came in with a makeshift tray with two plates piled high with eggs, sausages, toast and strawberries.

She smiled and sat up, pulling the covers aside so that he could sit down next to her.

"Did you clean out my entire fridge?" She laughed when he put the heavy plate of food in front of her.

He chuckled. "I'll restock your pantry later, love."

They ate their breakfast and talked and not once did Klaus mentioned what had happened the night before- something Caroline was grateful for. When he smiled, she couldn't help but smile. When he laughed, she laughed, too.

The morning flew by and Klaus called Rebekah to let her know he wouldn't be going to work after much argument with Caroline (a fight she lost). He made good on his promise to buy her groceries and they spent the day watching movies and napping.

Caroline couldn't help but think of how normal having Klaus around seemed- how domestic.

As the day came to a close, Caroline drove Klaus to the parlor and they said their goodbyes. When she pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building, he phone rang and Klaus's name flashed on the screen.

He had intended to call her just to make sure she had arrived home safely, but they ended up talking late into the night.

* * *

Caroline grabbed the paper bag from the passenger seat and got out of her car, shutting the door and locking her car. She went into the building and went up to the third floor before knocking on Bonnie's door.

A couple of seconds later, Bonnie pulled the door open, clad in cotton sweatpants and a baggy Timberwolves t-shirt with no trace of makeup on her dark skin.

Caroline held the paper bag over her mouth before she spoke. "How contagious are you?" As if on cue, Bonnie sneezed and brought a tissue to her nose, blowing it loudly.

"Does that answer your question?" She croaked before moving aside to let Caroline step into her apartment.

"It's a good thing I ingested a week's worth of vitamin C before coming over with gifts," Caroline said as she went straight for the kitchen and started taking out everything she had bought.

As soon as everything was unpacked, she rolled up her sleeves and started preparing some soup for her friend. Within the hour, she had Bonnie sitting on the couch, wrapped in three blankets, watching Grey's Anatomy and sipping chicken soup.

"You're the best Care," Bonnie said, her voice seeming to return to normal.

Caroline smiled. "What are friends for?" She shrugged before moving to clean up the kitchen. Once she was done and had laid out the cough syrup and chamomile tea packets for later, she joined her friend on the couch.

"I'll be here the rest of the day to make sure you're better by tomorrow, Bon," She smiled as she started another episode.

"You really don't have to."

"Uh, yes I do. You and Elena took care of me since we were little, now it's my turn."

Bonnie smiled and they began filling each other in on what was going on in their lives.

Bonnie had finished her first semester of college with straight A's, something that didn't surprise Caroline.

"There's something else…" Bonnie started, seeming giddy but nervous at the same time.

"Uh huh…" Caroline urged her.

"Well, I started dating this guy-"

"What! When?" Caroline sat up, very interested now.

"Not that long ago, actually. We were friends before we actually decided to date." Although Bonnie was pale because of her cold, her cheeks flushed.

"You have to tell me everything! What does he look like? Is he a good kisser? Wait what's his name?"

"Kol."

"Kol? All the pieces clicked. "Kol as in Kol Mikaelson? If it is, I really don't want to know if he's a good kisser." Caroline scrunched her nose in disgust.

Bonnie's eyes grew wide and her eyebrows shot up on her forehead. "How do you know Kol?"

"I met him a few weeks ago when I went to go pick up Klaus."

"Pick up Klaus? Since when are you and-" Bonnie began to ask but a knock on the door stopped her.

"I'll get that," Caroline mumbled, mentally thanking whoever it was that decided to pay a visit at that exact moment. She didn't really want to have to explain her relationship with Klaus to Bonnie because she wouldn't know how to explain it.

She reached the door and stood on her tip toes to look through the peep hole.

Her stomach lurched, her heart pounded and all her muscles tensed as she caught sight of the man standing in the dimly lit hallway.

She swallowed and slowly stepped away from the door, moving until she reached Bonnie.

"What is it?" Bonnie looked between the hallway and Caroline who looked like she had seen a ghost.

"What is Tyler doing here?" Caroline hissed and Bonnie tensed.

"I-I don't know," Bonnie stuttered and began pulling off the blankets, setting her sock covered feet on the tile floor.

"Bon-"

"I swear, Caroline. I don't know," she hissed in the lowest voice she could muster. There was more knocking. "Maybe if we don't answer he'll go away," Bonnie whispered and Caroline stayed glued to her spot like a deer in headlights.

Everything she had been running from was standing less than ten feet away, the wooden door her only protection.

"I know you're in there, Bonnie. Let me in!" Tyler's voice boomed and it sounded as though he was standing right next to her.

Another round of pounds on the door echoes through the room.

"Maybe I can get him to leave," Bonnie suggested in a hushed tone. Caroline nodded reluctantly, moving to hide behind the couch. She crouched down in the small space between the couch's back and the wall, listening as Bonnie padded down the hallway and opened the door.

"Hey, Tyler," Caroline heard Bonnie croak. The next thing she heard was the door hitting the wall and a pair a boots coming down the hallway and into the living room.

"Where is she, Bonnie? I know she's in here somewhere!" Caroline felt her heart pounding in her ears as the voice got louder, closer.

"What are you talking about?" Bonnie tried to raise her voice at him but it broke as she did.

"Caroline. She ran away months ago and I haven't stopped looking for her, Bon. Everyone is so worried about her," he said, and Caroline almost scoffed but stopped herself.

"Well, she's not here, Tyler. And I don't know where she is," Bonnie's voice cracked again and Caroline knew it wasn't because she was sick- it was because she was lying.

There was a second of silence before she heard movement again.

"What are you doing?"

"You're hiding something, Bonnie." His footsteps moved rapidly across the room, getting quieter and quieter as they moved away. "What are you doing in my room!"

Caroline heard Bonnie emphasize on the last word and took it as a sign. She crawled out from behind the couch and bolted through the kitchen on the balls of her feet, trying to move as quickly and quietly as possible.

The front door was open and she didn't hesitate to run right into the hallway, making a left toward the elevators. The carpeted floor muffled her steps as her feet pounded against it. She sprinted down the hallway, stopping just in front of the elevator to press the down button. After a second of debate, she ditched the elevator and ran for the stairs.

Her breathing was fast and her muscles were tense as she ran down the steps as fast as her feet could take her. When she reached the last step, she heard the door of the third floor being pulled open, but she didn't think about that. She just yanked the metal door that led to the sidewalk open and rushed into the crowd.

She sped walked and weaved through the people, trying to put as much distance between her and Tyler as possible.

When she reached the next intersection she turned right and peeled down the sidewalk, not bothering to notice the weird looks people were giving her.

It was raining, pouring. She hadn't noticed.

The drops pounded against her skin and seeped through her sweater. She had left her jacket at Bonnie's.

She ran and ran until she reached the front steps of Original Tattoos. It was closed.

She knocked on the glass door frantically; looking from the door to the people coming down the sidewalk, making sure Tyler's face wasn't among them. When she looked back into the shop, Rebekah was standing there looking very confused. The confusion only lasted a second before she unlocked the door and pulled it open, letting Caroline in.

"Caroline, what's wrong?"

"Rebekah," Caroline started, but had to stop to take a breath before continuing. "I can't explain right now but I need a place to hide." She was still panting but she managed to get her message across.

Rebekah simply nodded and grabbed Caroline's hand. "Come with me."

Caroline regarded her for a second, her eyebrows pulling together at Rebekah's lack of questions. But when they stopped at the back of the shop, she shoved her towards the door that was there.

She pointed an accusing finger at Caroline. "If the police comes knocking, do not expect me to keep my mouth shut," she threatened.

"I'm not in that kind of trouble," Caroline shot back. She knew this wasn't anything personal, but being accused of being in trouble with the police wasn't really something she liked.

"Good. It better not be." The statement was only slightly threatening. Rebekah moved Caroline aside and produced a key, sliding it into the lock of the door and pushing it open. Caroline looked inside and saw a staircase that lead to a doorway on the second floor.

"What's up there?"

"You'll see. Now get inside," Rebekah urged her and Caroline stepped inside, the door closing behind her. It got dark; almost pitch black except for the light that was coming from the doorway on the second floor landing. She heard the lock click behind her as she took the first steps.

One, two, three, four… fifteen steps. Her hand rested on the cool metal door knob and she turned it, pushing the door open.

The room was bright because the black curtains that hung on each side of the large windows were pulled aside to let in the light. Even with the dark clouds hiding the Sun, the room was still filled with light. A large, king sized bed was settled between the two windows, its satin comforter and pillows begged for someone to lay in them. The floor was dark wood; the walls were a dark grey color except for the wall that was to her left which was painted white. There was a fully loaded kitchen there, every appliance was stainless steel and every surface shinned.

But what caught her attention was not the gleaming kitchen. No, it was the small studio that was set up next to it. There were three different easels there but only one had a canvas set up on it. There were two tables with paints and brushes and sketch books scattered all over them. Was she in…

"Caroline?" Klaus's voice interrupted her thoughts and she spun around. There he was, clad in nothing but a white towel that hung low on his hips, his hair still damp.

"Hey," she swallowed and tried not to stare.

"Not that I'm complaining but…" He trailed off and his eyes raked over her. She became very aware that she was dripping wet, and standing in the middle of what seemed to be Klaus's apartment. "What are you doing here, love?"

"I was just dropping in to say hello," she tried but the look on his face told her that he didn't believe a word that was coming out of her mouth. Never the less, he just shook his head and chuckled, choosing to humor her.

"Well can I get you anything? Perhaps something dry to change into?" He said with a smirk and moved toward a wardrobe that was up against the wall on the right side of the room.

"That would be lovely," Caroline said with a relieved sigh. She hadn't moved from her spot since the moment he had stepped into the room, afraid to drop water all over the floor.

When Klaus returned, he had a white towel in one hand and a few articles of folded clothing in the other. He placed the pile of clothes in Caroline's hand and proceeded to wrapping the warm towel around her shoulders. She smiled up at him and quickly ducked out of his reach because having Klaus half naked and smelling so good at arm's length was messing with her head.

Caroline found the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She took a moment to look around the room, which was as luxurious and shiny as the rest of Klaus's apartment.

She stripped down to her underwear but then noticed that those, too, were wet because of the rain. She sighed, removing her undergarments and hanging everything in the shower to dry.

Klaus had given her a pair of gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt. She held up both items and examined them, knowing they would be too big on her. She pulled them on anyways and stared at herself in the mirror.

The sweatpants hung low on her hips, and the legs were so long that they hid her bare feet from view. She rolled up the sleeves of the t-shirt up to her shoulders, making it more of a tank top. The cloth of the shirt became baggy in the front, hiding the fact that she was wearing nothing underneath it. There was nothing she could do about her hair but run her fingers through it and let it fall over her shoulders in wet waves. She washed her face in the sink, scrubbing off all of the makeup that was still on her skin.

When she finally opened the door and exited the bathroom, she looked around the room, spotting Klaus who was sitting on a stool in front of the painted canvas. He only wore a pair of sweatpants, similar to the ones she had on.

Caroline padded across the room and stood near him, watching as he added touches to his painting. From where she was, she could see the form of a large snowflake taking form in the center of the canvas. Other snowflakes whined around it but they were farther away from the larger one, making it seem so… alone.

"What do you see?" Klaus asked without turning to her. He dabbed his brush into more black paint and applied it to the canvas.

"A snowflake."

"I didn't mean for my work to be taken so literally, love." He chuckled.

"Well," She started, walking around so that she was standing in the space between his body and the painting. She felt his legs part automatically to let her settle between them. "It looks lonely," she said, tilting her head to the side.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean it's so dark and separated from everything else." It was her honest opinion, and if being around Klaus had taught her anything, it was that honesty was best.

He didn't say anything for a while. She was about to say something when she felt his hands on her hips and he spun her around.

"What are you doing here, Caroline?" He asked. He didn't sound angry or annoyed like she expected him to, he just sounded like he wanted answers.

Answers that she couldn't give him.

They were so close to each other that she could see the flecks of blue in his eyes, his warm breath fanning over her face. She wanted to tell him, she really did. She needed to tell someone other than Bonnie because she desperately needed to talk about it.

Bit she knew that once she told him, he would stop looking at her like he was now- like she could do no wrong, like she was perfect in his eyes. Like she was the only one he saw.

"I-I…" She sighed in defeat. "I can't tell you."

"Can't or won't?"

"Can't," she said adamantly, trying to make herself believe that more than him. "I can't, Klaus."

"Okay," he said, bringing his hand up and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Caroline was grateful that he dropped the subject again, but she knew he was dying to know. She turned around again and grabbed the paint brush, handing it to him. He wrapped an arm around her middle and pulled her back into his chest, her back pressing into his chest.

He painted with her like that, an experience she enjoyed because sometimes he would rest his chin on her shoulder and being that close to him was great.

When they finished it had already started to get late so he made her dinner- pasta.

They did the dishes together and then sat down to watch a movie.

Klaus came around his coffee table and sat down next to Caroline, grabbing the remote and pressing play. He set the remote down on the table and sat back, his arms stretched against the back on the couch. Usually this was his invitation for Caroline to come closer, and she did, settling against his chest.

The first couple of previews had just rolled by when he spoke up.

"Caroline?"

"Hmm?" She replied lazily. She had loved spending the day with Klaus, and it had almost helped her forget about the events of earlier that day. Almost.

"Caroline, something is bothering you." He said and she tensed, not moving from her spot. She didn't want to look up because she knew that he would see he was right.

"What do you mean?" She asked, trying to sound innocent to the question.

Klaus shifted under her, forcing her to sit up. "You've been uneasy all day, sweetheart. I think I've known you long enough to know when something is wrong."

"I'm fine, Klaus." She laughed and noticed how fake it sounded.

"Love," he placed both of his hands on her cheeks, making her look straight at him. "Tell me what's wrong."

She wanted to complain, she really did. But he was looking at her in the way that made her stomach do a flip. She saw the concern there and felt all of her resolutions slip away.

Caroline sighed, moving her hands away from his face. She wanted to push them away but he kept them on her lap. She played with his fingers absentmindedly and he inched closer.

"Tell me," he whispered, urging her one last time. "You know you can trust me, love."

She knew she could, he didn't need to tell her that.

"When I was little, my father left my mother and me for another man," She paused briefly because that was usually when people offered their apologies. But Klaus just looked at her, waiting patiently for her to continue.

"When I started high school, I was a little… troubled. My mother was always working, my dad hadn't been around, and I just wanted attention. I didn't exactly hang out with the wrong crowd, but trouble always seemed to find me."

"I was an alcoholic for two years. One day, I woke up in my bed, in my room, with a hole in my memory the length of a whole day. To this day, I still don't remember what I did in those twenty-four hours." She shook her head. "That was when I decided that I had to stop. So during my junior year of high school, when I started getting clean, I met Tyler. He was trying to get clean, too. He was on the school football team and he had been threatened with getting kicked off if he didn't stop geting smashed every other night. We helped each other out, eventually becoming best friends."

"At one point, we became more than friends. We were together for almost two years, but the problems didn't start until the last months of senior year; Tyler wanted me to stay with him in Mystic Falls, go to Mystic University and follow him around because we were in love. But I wanted to go out of state; experience new things- there were a couple of fights because of that."

"We went to prom together- I won prom queen and he won prom king. After prom, he suggested that we go out for a drink at the local bar together, to celebrate. I went along with it because I trusted him- I trusted that I was safe with him. The next morning I woke up at his house, with a new ring on my finger." She had to stop, her anger boiling to the brim.

"It didn't take long for me to figure out that he had taken advantage of me. He had gotten me drunk just so that I would say yes to marrying him, to staying with him forever." Klaus had yet to say anything, but she could tell he was listening to her every word.

"It was just an engagement ring, though. We couldn't get married unless we had a license- something he hadn't thought about. And on top of all that, both my mother and his mother weren't opposed to the idea! I mean, even after I told my mother what he had done, she seemed totally oblivious to the fact."

"By the end of the week, I was out of town. I couldn't be around any of them anymore, but I had no place to go. It's not like any colleges had accepted me or anything," she mumbled the last part.

Klaus frowned. "Caroline, you are one of the smartest people I know. How did you not get into at least on college?"

"I did- Mystic University. But that was Tyler's doing; the day that I was going to mail in my applications, he offered to take them for me, like any good boyfriend would," she scoffed. "I never even got a rejection letter, which I had found strange, but Tyler convinced me not to look into it. A couple of weeks after I moved her I decided to investigate and it turns out that none of those colleges, except Mystic Falls University, received my applications."

"He never sent them?"

"No, he didn't. He wanted to take away all options for me."

"That's terrible."

"I know," she sighed. I hated the person that I was before him- always dependent on others, wanting attention. When I was with Tyler, I had the attention, but I wanted to keep it at any cost- until it just became too much." She was ashamed. She wiped away a stray tear quickly and looked away from Klaus's eyes.

He wasn't looking at her the same anymore- now he looked curious. Something she really didn't like.

She had put out all her insecurities to him, leaving herself bare. He had always told her that he thought she was strong, but what he didn't know was that she was so weak. She had been so insecure all her life, and when someone had finally made her feel worthy, they used her emotions against her.

The tears kept coming and she felt the weight of Klaus's hands disappear from her lap. His hands cupped her cheeks again and he turned her head so that she could face him, simultaneously wiping away the tears.

"Sweetheart, look at me," he said. She did as he asked and stared into his too blue eyes, her worries melting away as she did."You are strong, you are beautiful, you are full of light," his eyes darted all over her face as he talked. "I am positive that you always have been, and anyone would be blind and ridiculously pig headed to not see how special you are." She giggled at his choice of words, glad that he was trying to make her feel better. The curious look had disappeared from his eyes, replaced by a look of pure adoration, which both scared her and excited her.

"Come here," he said, dropping his hands so that they could wrap around her waist, pulling her into his embrace. Caroline took a deep breath, letting herself relax into his familiar arms. "If this was why you were so upset, you should have come to me earlier. We would have talked about it and everything would have been fine."

"Tyler is here," she said with a sigh and he pulled away slightly to look at her.

"What?"

She nodded. "I was at Bonnie's place today taking care of her because she's sick. He got there, looking for me."

"Are you alright, did he do anything to you?"

"No, I'm fine. I hid until he was distracted enough for me to run out of the building. I came here because I didn't know where else to go. Oh, by the way- I'm sorry for just dropping in like this. I should have called or something."

"Don't be ridiculous, love. I'm glad you came." He smiled his dimpled smile and she couldn't help but smile back.

The topic of Tyler temporarily forgotten- Caroline turned around in Klaus's arms and settled into his chest again, both of their attention returning to the movie.

He kept his arm wrapped around her waist, his hand rest on her hip. Every couple of minutes he would move his hand, and at one point her shirt rode up, exposing her skin. When his hand skimmed over it, he stopped, almost as if he was asking her permission to continue. She didn't move, letting him decide for himself. A couple of minutes later he laid his hand flat over her skin, keeping it there for the rest of the movie.

Caroline tried to focus on what was happening on the screen but she couldn't. Her mind was skipping between the way his slightly calloused hand rested on her hip to the feeling of his bare chest under her.

When the movie ended and the credits started rolling, she sat up and stretched, feeling slightly stiff from the position she had been in for nearly two hours.

"Would you like something to eat?" Klaus asked and she turned to him, slightly thrown off by his question.

"Sure."

He stood up and she followed him to his kitchen. While he dug through the fridge, she hopped up on the counter and sat, waiting for him to get her slice. He took out a rum cake and set it down on the counter, going around and opening drawers and cabinets, coming back with a plate, two spoons and a knife.

He cut out a large slice and put it on the plate. He placed his hands on her knees and slowly pushed them apart, settling in between them and grabbing the plate off the counter.

"Klaus, I can't eat that much," Caroline said with a laugh as he put a piece on the spoon and fed it to her.

He nodded toward the counter where there was another spoon, motioning for Caroline to pick it up. "Who said it was just for you?"

She dug the spoon into the cake and fed him his piece, laughing at his tone.

They continued to feed each other in silence, enjoying the little routine they had created.

"Thanks for listening to me today," Caroline said after Klaus fed her the last piece of cake. He put the plate in the sink and ran some water, rinsing it and putting it to dry before drying his hands and returning to his spot in front of Caroline.

He placed a hand under her chin, bringing her attention to his eyes. "Any time, love."

Caroline gave him a small smile, but it dropped quickly when she looked down at his plump lips, a small distance away from hers. Her eyes darted up to his eyes and she noticed he was staring at her lips as well.

She licked her lips unconsciously and watched as his eyes followed the movement of her tongue as his slid across her lip. She felt his thumb on her lower lip and she kept her eyes on him, watching in fascination as he studied all her features like as if it were the first time.

"Caroline…" He said his voice low and gruff. "I would very much like to kiss you right now."

She looked up at him through lidded eyes and watched as he tore his gaze from her lips to look into her eyes. She didn't say anything- she didn't really trust her voice to even work at the moment. But she knew that she wanted to kiss him, too.

There was no way of really telling who initiated the kiss because they both inched toward each other until their lips met. His lips covered hers, and at first he didn't move and neither did she because she was savoring the feel of his soft, full lips on hers.

He moved, kissing her once, twice, three times, and she return every gesture.

The kiss was innocent and soft and Caroline wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in a little closer. He slid his tongue over her bottom lip, begging for permission, which she granted. With a sigh, she parted her lips and tilted her head, allowing him better access.

He didn't invade her mouth, but instead, stroked her tongue with his own, coaxing her to deepen her movement as well. She felt his hand slip away from her chin, his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her closer, causing her to wrap her legs around his waist instinctively.

The heat of the kiss escalated automatically, and soon their tongues were locked in a battle for dominance, neither of them backing down.

Caroline pulled away slightly and Klaus did the same, their lips breaking contact so that they could both take a minute to breath. Their breathing was heavy and their breaths mingled in the short space between them, charging the electricity that had been sparking around them since the moment she stepped into his apartment.

But Caroline wasn't done yet- there was no way he was going to kiss her like that and just think it would be over. She pulled him in again and began another passionate kiss. This one didn't escalate from soft to heated. No, it was hungry from the beginning.

"Caroline…" Klaus mumbled against her lips after a couple of minutes, the small vibrations sending shivers down Caroline's body. She hummed against his lips and it seemed to have the same effect on him because his arms got tighter around her.

The counter suddenly disappeared from under her and she realized that Klaus had pulled her off and was walking across the apartment. Heat pooled at the pit of her stomach when she felt the soft material of his bed under her as her gently laid her down on it.

Klaus pulled away again and put some distance between them, not much, just a couple of inches. She opened her eyes and looked at him, missing the warmth of his body against hers.

He had his eyes closed and he took a deep breath before opening them and looking down at her.

"Caroline, we don't have to do this," he started, "I don't want you to think I'm taking advantage of you after everything you told me. This isn't what this is about." He sighed, resting his head against her chest, his arms still wrapped tightly around her middle.

Caroline looked down at him, completely confused and yet extremely touched at what he was doing. He was giving her some space, some time to decide whether she really wanted to continue or not. But she didn't really need the time, she was sure she wanted to be with him and his actions only made her decision clearer.

She unwrapped her legs from around his torso, keeping them bent and at his sides. Then she brought her hands up and ran them through his hair, starting at the front and raking her fingers all the way to the nape of his neck, playing with the curls there.

"Klaus…" She whispered and he slowly lifted his head to look at her. "I want this, and I know you aren't taking advantage of me. I know you wouldn't do that," she sighed and took a deep breath. "I want this because I have feelings for you, and I want something more than just friendship with us." She bit her lip when she finished, hoping she had expressed herself well enough.

Klaus looked at her for a second before his eyes warmed and a smile graced his features. "As do I, sweetheart." He leaned in and placed a quick kiss on her lips, pulling away so that they were only a breath apart.

Caroline closed her eyes, enjoying the proximity. She felt a small smile play at the corners of her lips and she knew that Klaus was the reason- he always had a way to make her smile.

"So," she trailed off and wrapped her arms around his neck once again. "Where were we?"

The smile on Klaus's features soon melted into a devilish smirk and he covered her lips with his once again, making Caroline moan.

"I think we were right here," he said against her lips as their kiss grew passion again. Caroline tilted her head to allow him better access and they resumed their battle for dominance. Klaus broke away, only to trail his lips down the column of her neck and stopping at her collarbone. He licked and nipped at her skin and Caroline couldn't help but thread her fingers through his hair.

His arms were no longer around her waist and now he gently pulled at the hem of her shirt, bringing it up so that his fingers could touch her skin. His hands slowly moved up the sides of her body, taking her, his, shirt along with it.

His mouth broke away from her collarbone so that he could pull the shirt over her head and throw it somewhere off to the side. She watched as he looked down at her, appreciating every inch of skin that was revealed.

He bent down slowly and placed a kiss atop each of her breasts, trailing his lips over her skin slowly. He took one of her breasts into his mouth and covered the other with his large hand, massaging it skillfully.

Caroline threw her head back in pleasure, enjoying the attention she was receiving. Klaus's tongue made circles around her pebbled mound while his fingers fondled the other one. When he seemed to be done with her breast, her trailed kisses across her chest and started on the other one.

Caroline whimpered and moaned with every lick and kiss, because she couldn't get enough. She wanted to beg him not to stop, but she also wanted to beg him to stop or else she would come undone right there.

Klaus was now leaving kisses under her breast and moving down, kissing and nipping at every inch of her skin. His hands trailed down to rest on her hips, his thumbs dipping underneath the elastic of her, his, sweatpants. He slowed his movements when his lips reached her lower abdomen, and he paid extra attention to the skin above the waistband.

Caroline grabbed onto the fabric below her as the heat between her legs became unbearable and she whimpered.

"Klaus, please," she breathed.

He slowly pushed the sweatpants off, his lips leaving a trail of kisses down her outer thigh, stopping just at her knee to pull her pants off and throwing them in another direction. She thought he would step away from the bed to pull off his own pants, but instead he grabbed her foot and began another trail of kisses starting at her ankle, up her calf, over the side of her knee and on her inner thigh.

By that point, she was shaking with anticipation. No one had ever gone down on her and she thought it was just something guys didn't do. Sure, she had down it for her past lovers, but they had never returned the favor.

Now Klaus looked up at her as her got closer to her center, his blue eyes sparkling in the dim light of the room. Caroline breathed and closed her eyes, another wave of arousal shooting through her.

She felt him place her legs over his shoulders and his stubbled cheek grazed her skin as his mouth came into contact with her most intimate part.

Oh.

Her eyes shot open at the sweet new sensation, his tongue trailing up and down her wet folds. She bit her lip hard, almost drawing blood when he nipped at her sensitive bundle of nerves, only to lick it seconds later. She felt her orgasm start to build, when suddenly she felt his two fingers at her entrance. This time she couldn't hold back the primitive sounds that escaped her lips, and Klaus seemed to appreciate it because he hummed against her in approval, which only added to her pleasure.

His fingers delved in and out of her entrance and she slipped her hands into his curls, unable to hold back any longer. Her hips bucked but he used one hand to pin her down, effectively gluing her to the mattress.

She felt the burning grow at the pit of her stomach and soon her walls were shaking and she whimpered as her orgasm hit her hard. He lapped up her juices like a man about to die of thirst, and then trailed his tongue up her folds one last time.

Caroline kept her eyes closed as she tried to even out her breathing, which proved to be even harder as Klaus continued to leave kisses up her body until he reached her lips.

"You didn't have to do that," Caroline whispered when he pulled away slightly.

"Of course I did," he said. "I've wanted to do that for weeks." Caroline's eyes fluttered open when she heard his words. He had a grin on his face but his eyes were completely serious.

She glanced down before looking back up at him and she frowned.

"What is it?" He asked sounding concerned.

"I think it's hardly fair that I'm completely naked and you have yet to remove an article of clothing." Caroline's hands ran down his back and she stopped at the waistband of his sweatpants, dipping her fingers under the elastic like he had down moments ago.

He smirked. "I don't have much on, love."

"You won't have anything on very soon." Caroline moved from his lips to his neck and stopped there, kissing and biting gently at his skin. She let her fingers run along the skin under the elastic, eliciting a groan from Klaus.

"Caroline…" He said, his tone slightly warning but more turned on than anything.

"Hmmm…" She said against the skin at the base of his neck. One second he was on top of her and the next she was alone on the large bed. She looked around and pushed herself up on her elbows. He was standing by the bed, pulling off his sweatpants, revealing that he had been wearing nothing under it.

Caroline's eyes dropped to his rather large and erect member. She licked her lips unconsciously.

"Don't tease," Klaus said and she looked up at him confused. He climbed onto the bed and on top of her and she realized what he was referring to.

As he settled in between her legs she took the opportunity to flip them over, leaving a dazed and slightly amuse Klaus under her.

She bent down and kissed his chin, moving along his jaw and up to his ear.

"I don't tease," she whispered seductively and moved down so that she could kiss down his chest and abs, tracing the designs on his skin with her tongue.

When she reached his dick she licked her lips again, knowing he was watching her every move and that it would turn him on even more. She kissed up his shaft and licked his head before sealing her mouth over his throbbing member. She heard Klaus groan again as she bobbed her head up and down, swirling her tongue around him and sucking on him simultaneously.

It hadn't even been a minute when she felt his hands on her shoulder and he pulled her up, switching positions so that she was under him.

"I want to be inside you. Now." He slid in between her legs again and she felt his erection press into her thigh. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard, all teeth and tongue and none of the innocence of their first kiss.

He pushed into her slowly, allowing her to adjust and Caroline had to pull away from their kiss to take in a breath. He was so big.

He pulled out again and pushed back in, setting a rhythm. She let her hips rise to meet his every thrust, letting him set a pace. Within seconds she felt him start to move quicker, needing release as much as she did.

She cupped his cheeks, bringing his attention back to her.

"Slow," she said, her voice confident. His eyes widened for a second as he took in her request. Both of his hands had been gripping the headboard before, but now he lowered himself so that he could hold himself up on one forearm, placing his other hand on her lower back.

His eyes remained locked with hers as he slowed down to a deliberate pace. He would pull out completely before pushing back agonizingly slow, repeating the action indefinitely.

Caroline ran her nails down his back, something he seemed to like, and let her hands rest on his lower back. She was beginning to regret asking him to go slow, but she knew it would be so worth it in the end.

Klaus leaned down and kissed her softly, his lips mimicking the movement and tempo of their hips. Slow, leisurely.

He pulled at her lower lip with his teeth before taking it into his mouth and sucking gently. Caroline returned the favor by sucking on his upper lip, licking the swollen skin- swollen from their endless kissing.

She rotated her hips once when he thrust into her and he moaned her name. He pulled away from her lips and rested his forehead on her chest, taking in a deep breath as he continued to thrust into her at the same speed.

"Sweetheart, you're killing me," he said, sounding like he was straining himself to speak. Caroline bit her lip to hold back a smile. She wrapped her legs around him unhurriedly, providing a new angle for him. She lifted her hips slightly when he thrust in again, taking him in deeper than ever.

His head shot up from her chest and he narrowed his eyes at her. "You're not helping."

She giggled and captured his lips with hers. "You like it," she said, kissing him again.

He pulled away after a minute, resting his forehead on hers, their noses touching. "I love it."

She gasped as he pulled out almost completely, leaving only his tip in her, then pushing back in. Scorching heat began to travel all around her body, coiling around her muscles, bringing a pleasurable pain to the pit of her stomach.

"Klaus," she moaned, her eyes fluttering closed for a second. "Klaus, I'm almost there." She whimpered. His stubble ticked her cheek and felt his lips against the shell of her ear.

"Come for me, Caroline," he cooed. The way her name rolled off his tongue sent shivers down her spine and heat to her core.

"Klaus," she moaned again.

He hummed against her ear. "You say my name so delectably, love. Say it again, louder."

She acquiesced, saying his name louder as he continued to push into her. He hadn't picked up the tempo at all, but the speed he was keeping was sending her toward the edge at a million miles an hour.

"Louder, Caroline," he said and she whimpered, knowing that she was right there.

She felt her body give away and she tumbled over the edge, screaming his name. After a couple of thrust, Klaus came right after her, a roar ripping through his chest as he called her name.

He collapsed on her, only slightly holding his weight. She unwrapped her legs from around him and wrapped her arms around his middle, enjoying the feel of his body completely on top of her.

After a couple of minutes when they had both caught their breath, he rolled off of her and pulled her to his side, pulling the comforter over their sweaty and sated bodies.

"That was amazing," Caroline breathed, resting her cheek on his chest. He ran his fingers up and down her spine, kissing the top of her head.

"You were amazing," he said against her blonde locks and Caroline smiled, her eyes drooping closed.

"Are you cold?" He asked as goose bumps spread over her skin He pulled the satin comforter up a couple of inches and Caroline's smile widened.

"No, that's from you," she whispered against his skin before drifting off into sleep.

* * *

**Well, they did the deed. I'm terrible at writing things like this so I hope this wasn't so bad.**

**I have a ton of homework this weekend so I'm going to try and get it all done so that I can work on Marked. **

**Bye for now!**

**~M**

**P.S.: Who else is super excited for TVD and The Originals in ****_5 DAYS_****! **


	5. Lost

Inked

Ch.5: Lost

Caroline smiled as she closed the door of her apartment behind her, walking down the hallway to the elevator. She had probably never been in such a good mood before, she thought. Getting to spend so much time around Klaus and getting to wake up next to him almost every morning was definitely a positive turn of events.

The elevator doors opened and she walked out to the lobby, giving a polite smile to some of the other tenants. She got to her mailbox and opened it, pulling out the envelopes that were there.

One in specific caught her attention. It was a large yellow manilla envelope, but there was no name or address on the outside.

She tucked the other envelopes under her arm and turned the yellow envelope around, opening the clasp and looking inside.

She pulled up the first page, recognizing the handwriting on it immediately. Her hands became ice cold and heat traveled to her cheeks and ears as her heart beat spiked. She took in a couple of ragged breaths before skimming the letter quickly.

_Dear Caroline,_

_I was never good with words so I don't know how to even begin to convince you to come back home. I know you're in New Orleans, and if you are reading this then you should know that I know where you live. _

_I love you Caroline- I always have and I always will. I'm worried and I just want to be with you. I'm sorry for everything I did, I truly am._

_And I'm worried about you. I want you to be safe, and know who you've been hanging around._

_Come back to me, Care._

_Tyler_

She put the letter back in the envelope and closed her mailbox, quickly making her way over to the elevator and pressing the button repeatedly.

She looked around, but there was no one in the lobby.

How did he find her? How did he know where she lived? How did he know who she hung around?

Well, the only new person in her life was…

Caroline was in front of her apartment door, gripping the envelope to her chest. She pushed open the door quietly and stepped in, listening for any movement inside.

All she could hear was the shower running, the door to the bathroom slightly open.

She walked to the living room and dropped everything on the coffee table, looking at the yellow envelope. She looked back at the bathroom door, then looked over at the coffee table.

She could just get into the shower with Klaus and enjoy their morning and throw away the envelope and forget about Tyler. She didn't need to see what was inside because the only new person she had been around was Klaus and she trusted him enough to know that she was safe around him.

She took a couple of steps toward the bathroom door, getting close enough to hear Klaus humming something as he showered. A small smile spread over her lips as she imagined him humming under her shower, completely at ease in her home. She let herself get wrapped up in the fantasy of what would happen if she were to step into the shower with him, but the nagging voice at the forefront of her mind told her otherwise.

She looked back at the yellow envelope and sighed, moving over to sit on the sofa and pick up the envelope, dumping all the contents on the coffee table.

There were some more papers and some pictures, but everything else disappeared when she saw the printed article at the center of it all.

NIKLAUS MIKAELSON - CHARGED WITH MURDER?

The words didn't register at first but Caroline numbly picked up the paper and stared at the capitalized and bolded headline. She looked at the picture of Klaus being taken away in handcuffs. She stared at his face in the picture. It was stoic.

He wore a black Henley and his necklaces hung from his neck. His hands were behind his back and a police man escorted him through a crowd of onlookers.

Her eyes lingered on the page, picking up certain words in the article.

_Accused...crash...Henrik Mikaelson...murderer…_

There was movement on the other side of the room and she looked up to see Klaus standing in only a towel outside of the bathroom door. He looked concerned as his eyes traveled from the mess of papers on the coffee table to the paper in her hand. She looked down at the picture of him on the page and then back at him, wordlessly turning the page around to show him the article.

His face was clear of all emotion in seconds as he looked at the headline, recognition flashing in his eyes for a brief second.

She had hoped that this had been Tyler's work and that he had just Photoshopped things together to make it look like an actual article, but Klaus's expression said otherwise.

He didn't say anything at first and neither did she. But after about a minute she started to get worried and slightly impatient.

"What is this Klaus?" She asked, her voice only breaking slightly.

"Where did you get that?" He asked, his eyes snapping up to look at hers.

"That doesn't matter," she shook her head, not liking that he answered her question with a question. "Please...explain," she pleaded. She hadn't looked at what the article said but she didn't care, she wanted to hear what he had to say.

Caroline knew that if he told her what happened, she could see in his eyes if he was lying or not. She trusted him to tell the truth, but she needed him to open up and explain.

He moved to sit next to her on the sofa, but left a decent amount of space between them. He adjusted the towel around his waist and looked straight ahead, resting his elbows on his thighs.

"When I was seventeen, I had gotten my first motorcycle. I had saved up enough money to pay half of the bike's total price and I made a bargain with my mother so that she could pay for the other half. Mikael, my father, didn't really like the idea but there wasn't much he could do about it."

"One afternoon, my brother Henrik began to bug me more than usual about getting to ride the damn bike. Mikael had said that I could keep the bike as long as I was the only one to go on it, so having Henrik on it was out of the question." He paused for a second and rubbed a hand over his face before continuing. "Mikael was out that evening and Henrik just wanted to go for a ride around the block. I gave in and we went out." Another pause, but much longer this time.

"Did you know that most accidents happen within five miles of your home?" It was a rhetorical question and he let it hang in the air as he continued to look out into nothing. Caroline watched as the troubled man next to her battled with himself. He had always been very closed off about what had happened to his younger brother, and she had always let it go because she hoped that eventually he would open up about it. But now he was forced into it, and it was probably very uncomfortable for him.

She reached out and placed a hand on his smooth, bare shoulder. He looked over at her for a second, his eyes locked with hers. His eyes were getting glossy and he turned his head back to look forward, bringing his hand up to cover hers.

"I was driving at regulation speed, I stopped at the stop sign, waited three seconds, and then pushed forward. There was a car coming from the right and he didn't stop…" She felt him take in a deep breath and then clench his lips shut, a tear rolling down his cheek.

Caroline realized that she was crying, too. She took in a cleansing breath before moving over on the sofa to sit right next to Klaus, resting her chin on his hand. She waited for him to continue.

"I was thrown from the bike onto a lawn by the street, but Henrik…" He wavered. "Henrik wasn't so lucky. He hit the sidewalk and just…" Klaus stopped and another tear trailed down his cheek.

Caroline leaned her cheek against his and waited for him again. He was trying, and that was more than she could ask for.

"I was in the hospital for two weeks, then I was able to go home. But Henrik was comatose. A week later, his heart failed and he died in his sleep. Mikael rose the charges of murder against me not an hour later. I'm not sure how but he was able to convince the police of it and I was taken out of my apartment in handcuffs the night after Henrik had died."

"Of course, they weren't able to keep me locked up for long because they lacked evidence. That article was printed when my case was still very premature, so the press had superficial information, mostly just accusations that Mikael had made." He sighed.

"I think about it everyday- I may not be a murderer, but if I had just said no, Henrik would still be alive today. Mikael never lets me forget that."

Caroline pulled away slightly and looked him straight in the eyes, finding the pain and guilt there.

"His death is not your fault. Like you said, there was no evidence. How could you possibly control a circumstance like that?"

"If I had just-"

"Klaus," she moved her hands and brought them up to cup his cheeks, turning his attention fully to her. "It's not your fault."

She watched as his eyes traveled all over her face and he tried to hold his tough exterior a little longer. She rubbed her fingers over his skin as tears welled up in his eyes and she pulled him into her, letting him rest his head on her chest.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and stayed there for a couple of minutes, both of them silent. Caroline let her hands slip from his face and buried them in his curls which were still slightly damp from his shower.

She looked over at the coffee table and looked at the pictures there. They were snap shots of her and Klaus walking down the street, on his motor cycle, laughing outside a restaurant.

Tyler had been following her for some time. The thought sent a shiver of fear down her spine and she closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly to push away all the unwanted thoughts.

She kissed the top of Klaus's head and felt his hands slide under her sweater, his palms pressed flat against the skin of her lower back.

They stayed like that for another half hour before he got up and changed to go to work. When he left, Caroline looked at everything Tyler had sent her, rereading the letter and reading the actual article accusing Klaus of murder.

When she was done, she put everything back into the manilla envelope and threw it away.

* * *

Caroline sucked on her straw and finished off the last drop of her strawberry lemonade. She dropped the empty cup in a nearby trash can and continued to walk down the sidewalk.

She adjusted her purse strap and tucked her hands into the pockets of her jeans, making her way to Original Tattoos. She got to the front door and expected it to be open, but when she pulled on the door she found that it was locked. She looked in through the glass and saw that all there was no one there- Rebekah wasn't even at the front desk. Weird.

She looked around once more before deciding to go through the back, taking the side street that Klaus often took with his motor cycle.

She got to the back door and pulled, but that was locked too. She looked around and saw that Klaus's motorcycle was nowhere to be seen. Even weirder.

In one final attempt to see if anyone was inside, she knocked a couple of times on the door. She hadn't called to make sure if anyone would be there because everyone was usually there at that time. She checked her watch and it was only a couple of minutes passed three in the afternoon. She looked at her phone for any missed texts or calls from Klaus informing her that no one would be at the parlor that afternoon. Nothing.

She was about to turn around and leave when the lock clicked and the door swung open to reveal a man she had never seen before.

"May I help you?" He asked.

"Um," she said, taken by surprise. "I'm Caroline. I'm looking for Klaus?" She asked, finding the situation really strange.

"Caroline, you said?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you," he stuck out his hand. "I'm Mikael."

All her muscles tensed as she realized who he was. She shook herself out of the daze and slide her hand into his, shaking it quickly and pulling her hand away. "Hello," she said lamely.

"Well, I'm sorry to inform you that Klaus isn't here at the moment."

"Oh, do you know when he'll be back?" She asked.

He gave her a quizzical look, but after a second, his gaze softened.

"He didn't tell you did he? It doesn't surprise me, Niklaus was always a coward." He said, his voice laced with pity and disgust.

"What do you mean?"

"Who's at the door, love?" Another voice came from inside the parlor and a woman who looked to be about Mikael's age stepped forward. She was blonde and tall and gave Caroline the creeps. Her arm slipped around Mikael's waist and he did the same.

"This is Caroline. Caroline, this is Niklaus's mother and my wife, Esther," he said.

"Hi," she said quickly, not bothering with the pleasantries. "What did you mean when you said he didn't tell me?"

Mikael and Esther shared a look before looking back at Caroline. "Sweetheart, Niklaus won't be coming back for some time."

"Why? What do you mean?"  
"There was a death in the family recently and we were left with a very important estate back in London. Our family is moving back to England. We'll be leaving the shop in the care of some workers but for now, our move is indefinite."

Caroline stared, confused. What did he mean, indefinitely?  
"Niklaus left this for you this morning before getting on his flight." Esther produced a folded piece of paper and handed it to her. Caroline took it numbly, very confused and slightly scared.

"You'll have to excuse us, Caroline, but we have some work to do before our own flight leaves," Mikael said, his voice sickeningly sweet.

"Yes we'll be leaving later tonight. It was nice to meet you, and I'm sorry things didn't work out," Esther said as they closed the door, leaving her outside, completely dumbfounded.

What had just happened?

She looked down at the paper in her hands and unfolded it. The letter was written in his hand writting.

_Caroline,_

_I have left this letter to you because I cannot find my phone and had to leave so hastily that I had no chance to drop by your apartment. _

_I'm sorry, love, but things with us are not going to work out. I have duties that I have to fulfill with my family and family takes precedent over all._

_Our time together was fun but that was all it was. I hope you continue to do well here in New Orleans, as I know you will._

_Fondly,_

_Klaus_

She stared at the couple of lines scrawled in his beautiful handwriting, wondering if she was dreaming. And if she was, when she would wake up from the nightmare.

The letter was so detached and superficial that she had to reread it to make sure that was she had read was true.

After a few minutes of absorbing what the letter said, she pulled out her phone and dialed his number. The dial tone only lasted a couple of seconds before a monotone female voice informed her that the owner of the the phone was not available. Straight to voicemail.

She frowned, feeling hopeless.

Then angry.

And finally- alone.

He had left her. Indefinitely.

* * *

**This chapter was inspired by the song ****_Lost!_****by Coldplay.**

**I don't know how I feel about this chapter. It was kinda short, so I'm sorry.**

**Please let me know how you feel, obviously there's something fishy going on with that letter Klaus left Caroline. I hope to clear up things in the next chapter of Marked and that chapter will probably be a little longer. And better.  
**

**Okay bye.**


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